Sidney howe shoet



(No Modl.)

s.` H. SHORT.v

SPRING JACK FCR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

.No.,379,081. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

I' flac/gwn,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY HOWE SHORT, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE UNITED STATES ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF

SAME PLACE.

SPRING-JACK FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,081. dated March 6, 1898.`

' Application led February 16, 1887. Serial Nnf227.797. (No model.)

T all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIDNEY HowE SHORT, of Denver,in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Springdacks for Electrical Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to electrical railways of ro that class in which asingle sectional conductor is used,and is an improved spring-jack for con necting the ends ofthe sections of the conductors.

The invention is adapted to electrically con- I5 nect the ends of the sectional conductor and to permit the passage of the current-collector, so as to deliver through the same the necessary amount of electricity to drive the car.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a section in a plane at right angles to the direction ofthe slot of the conduit. Fig. 2 is a section in a plane parallel with the slot. Fig. 3 is a section through the contact-plates parallel with the surface of the roadway.

In Fig, 1, E represents a bracket which has at its lower end a spring, g, bolted to it by the bolt m. At the top of the spring g is one of the contact-plates, a, having a projecting hood to the left, ci. The upper end of the bracket 3o F is cup-shaped, as shown at c, and a coiled spring, S, is placed within thiscup or hollow cylinder and made 'to press against the plate c under thehood d. This coiled spring S tends to drive the plate a and spring g toward the right, but is stopped by the plate b,with which it comes in contact at n. The plate b is stationary by its support I. In order to prevent leakage to the ground from these ci rcuit-cl osers, they are supported on bell insulators I I, of

4o glass or other insulating material, and are clasped to the casting Fand plate b. to use two insulators on each side of this cir-l cuit-closer, as shown in Fig. 3 at I, I, I2, and I3. Theseinsulators are carried on pins which are fastened to the pin-supports .I and J. These pins are carried bythe fran1eKK,which is arranged to be'attached either to the conduit or cross-ties of the road-bed.

One end of the cable w enters the binding- I preferv post P of the casting F. The current enters through this cable. passes through the casting F, the spring g, and coiled spring S to the contact-plates a and b, then ont through the binding-post P', which is fastened to the plaie b and to the cable w.

In Fig. 3 the broken line -R represents the path of the current-collector. This collector is made of an insulating-bar, having on either l Vside strips of-copper connected through the motor on the car. As it moves into the circuit-closer through the notches o and o in the ties along theline of It, it wedges itself between the faces of the curved plates a and b. The spring S allows the plate a to move upward, and the contact at a, between the plates a and b, is broken. Plate a, however, will bein contact with one of these narrow strips and plate b in contact with the other. The current will no longer pass through the 'contact at n, but will find a path through the motor of the car.

When the current collector has passed from between the plates a and b and ont at the lefthand side, the springS will immediately force the plate a toward the stationary plate b, making contact at n and closing the circuit. The contact n is always electrically good, because thesliding ofthe current-gatherer over the faces a and b keeps them bright and clean.

When the plate a moves back toward P in Fig. l, the hood d passes over the cylinder c and returns to its original position as the spring S is released. This hood is intended as aprotection to the spring S from the mud and snow which may fall through the slot which is just about it. 8 5

I claim as my inventionl l. In an electric railway having a single sectional conductor and a current-collector, a spring-jack arranged between the ends of the sectional conductor, consisting of metallic faces a b, connected to the adjoining sections of the conductor, said faces being normally in contact, one movable and the other fixed, and arranged in the line of movement of the currentcollector, to be separated by the said collector acting directly upon them, substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway having a single sectional conductor, a spring-jack' arranged between the ends of the sections, consisting of metallic contact-faces a and b, one of said faces being stationary and the other being supported so as to have lateral movement with a suitable spring for returning and keeping it normally in contact with the fixed face, substantially as described.

3. In an electrical railway having a single sectional conductor, a springjack arranged between the ends of the sections, said jack consisting of two contact-faces, one of said faces being fixed and theother bei ng supported upon a spring, g, and adapted to have lateral move nient away from the fixed face, and a spring, S, in rear ofthe moving part adapted to keep it normally in contact with the fixed face, substantially as described.

4. A spring-jack adapted to be used between the ends of the sections of an electrical railway, having a single sectional conductor consisting of metallic contact-faces, one of said faces being xed and the other being supported upon spring g, so as to have lateral movement, a coil-spring bearing against the rear of said face and being partially contained within a covered pocket, and a flaring hood extending from the said contact-face rearwardly,\vhereby the spring is protected, substantially as described.

5. A springjack for a single sectional conductor of an electrical railway, consisting of two parts, each of said parts being secured to bell shaped insulators, substantially as described.

6. A springjack having a single sectional conductor of an electrical railway, consisting of two parts. each of said parts being secured to a bell-shaped insulator, and the insulator secured to a suitable support for working, substantially as described.

7. A springjack for the ends of the sections of the single sectional conductor of an electrical railway,consisting of a fixed contact-face provided with stationary binding-post, a Inovable contact face supported from a xed bracket by a spring and in electrical connection therewith, and a fixed binding-post upon said bracket, substantially as described.

S. In an'electrical railway,a springjack between the sections of the conductor, consisting of opposing faces normally in contact, one movable and the other iixed, and arranged to be separated by the passage of the currentcollector between the opposing faces, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my naine to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY HOVE SHORT.

Witnesses:

WM. N. BYERs, W. F. MCCLELLAND. 

